"The Evolution of Google Podcasts: A Brief History"

Google Podcasts, which officially launched in 2018, aimed to provide a simple and AI-driven podcast listening experience, but its development trajectory was nominal, and it eventually ceased feature updates in 2021. In 2023, Google announced the shutdown of Google Podcasts, with a deprecation date set for April 2, 2024. The decision to consolidate podcasting efforts into YouTube Music was made, despite the potential sustainability of Google Podcasts due to its simplicity and integration with Google Search. The move to YouTube Music has faced criticism for lacking basic podcast features, and the migration has not been well-received by some users.